The Orwellian Present – Never Mind the Future.

Stephen Neary is a 20 year old man with Autism trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare.

It is a story that should be trumpeted from the front page of every main stream newspaper – but it won’t be. They will keep silent.

Autism is a ‘broad’ word, describing a wide spectrum of conditions with defining characteristics involving a difficulty in communicating with other people, and a restricted range of activities and interests. It can range from the mild to the profound. It is most definitely NOT a mental illness.

This is a truly shocking story – I am not going to write about it, because a very well regarded blogger, Anna Raccoon, has done so far better than I could. Please take time to read her post – and the many comments. If you can help by publicising this, please do so.

I am, of course, relying on the fact that the facts stated are true and I will certainly try to investigate further by contacting those who may be able to dig further.

I understand that Nadine Dorries MP is trying to assist by providing information or contact to local MP. Obviously – I can only report on the issue in terms of what Anna Raccoon has written. The authorities may well have a different view of the issue but highlighting the issue may well lead to clarity?

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This piece from law blogger Obiter J (Law & Lawyers) is excellent with some very useful links to solid information

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16 Responses

Could there possibly, ever, be a more sinister Orwellian-sounding outfit than the “Positive Behaviour Unit”. Then they man it with “professional behaviour managers” and “Best Interests Assessors” all seen over by the “Court of Protection”.

Do the people who come up with such names have any idea how sinister they sound?

The secretiveness, lack of accountability and sheer way that the process takes over is chilling with it’s loss of perspective, common sense and humanity. It’s very likely that the legilsation is well meaning, but the way in which it is used?

To think that Jack Straw had been promoting legislation to indefinitely lock up people with personality disorders on the opinion of psychologists.

I am Steven’s father. Many thanks for writing about our battle. It has been an horrendous year but we should be in court in the next few days, where hopefully the appalling deprivation of liberty order will be lifted.

Thanks for bringing our attention to this case Mike. Assuming all the facts are what they are, it sounds absolutely outraging. From that description, it becomes obvious where the distress stands, the poor guy simply wants to return home. Let him go home. I have an assessment suggestion: keep all these ‘assessors’ locked in the center, and observe their frustration? How long will they remain cooperative?

Now, stop and think of something: This boy relies on his father, at such a point he becomes ‘aggressive’ when retained away from home and his familiar environment. Now think, inevitably, the father will disappear one day, he could have longer illness, and many other reason not to be able to look after his son. What will happen and how this boy will react?

This is a question for the whole community and not only the father and son.

Now my story: Their used to be a mental hospital in Epsom in Surrey. The hospital was closed and the patient sent to carers homes. Working with a charity organisation, we used to prepare them a nice X’mas party with food, songs, dance and presents. One day of joy in a year. What a ‘carer’ paid to look after them in their own home, could really do for them? Yes, some of them have ‘challenging’ behaviours. I have always in mind one ‘carer’ pushing back the guy on his push chair, while he showed such a scared face, I can only imagine he was bitten at home. Monstrous image.

I went online and Googled ‘The Ebisham Center’, more monstrous images came : the old abandoned hospital was regularly visited by talented photographer posting on Flickr. They had found ALL MEDICAL DOCUMENTS OF THE PATIENTS LEFT BEHING IN THE OLD BUILDINGS.

Can you just imagine the level of private / family information contained in these files?

The treatment of mental illness and criminals is something our societies need to think, by simply keeping them in the margins the problem won’t be resolved.

Mark, I read of your plight in a cold sweat, raging at the injustice of your son’s treatment and yet being so unsurprised at manner in which ignorant people can deal with the vulnerable in this way.

Where are the “Autism” professionals in this debacle? I have never met your son but I know exactly what he is like. I have a 21 yr old with aspergers on the autism spectrum. He, as you might guess, is doing well on a computer related degree at the moment.

He struggles with social relationships, hates crowds and loud music/ noise; his thought process is unique, he is not streetwise, assumes that everything he is told is the truth; that everyone he meets has good intentions etc.etc. He is intelligent and loves his family, placid, helpful, considerate, generous but does not think or plan past the here and now.

All it would take is one philistine to wrongly label anything he does to put him in jeopardy. As a result the family are so protective of him and what he will do when the family cannot do this is painful to contemplate. These are individuals who so desperately need advocacy. Communication is the weakness. They are not mentally impaired; they are mentally different. My son, when he was six would pass the headteacher in the corridor of his school and say things like ” You are looking very nice today Miss …” or ” Your hair is beautiful this morning” . The initial reaction from staff was “how cute of that little boy”. After a spell it was then realised that his behaviour was entirely inappropriate for his age and that did alert some very switched-on individuals to his development needs. In the same way Steven will display behaviour which is entirely reasonable according to his thought process yet has caused offence to someone who does not understand his condition. If he was blind and had tapped someone on the shoulder no one would ever subject him to the “Positive Behaviour Unit”. Why then the discrimination?

I also spare a thought for the family of Gary McKinnon who are desperately trying to prevent Gary being thrown to the US to be tried and possibly imprisoned when he suffers from a condition which means his brain simply does not operate a conventional thought process .

steven case is a disgrace,but this is happinig all over the country, only 2day i found out that my son probly wont be coming home once he finished with education even though my son asks 2 come home and asks 2 see his mammy and daddy according 2 the proffesonals he doesint have the mental capacity 2 chose what he wants,all over the country the mental capacity act is legally kidnapping young adults and taking them away from there familys,what would be so wrong in providing the care around his family and home why are they not offering a care package that would keep him within his own home where he is happy.shame on my son social worker peter thompson of chesterlee steet county durham you are a disgrace and in breach of my sons humanrights.

I did not even know this act existed! How did it get onto the statue book? This is draconian and more to the point how can it be challenged? What a pathetic country we have allowed ourselves, to let it turn into. I’m so cross about so many injustices, but sadly lack any idea of how to help. More to the point, it’s costing all of us money to pay for expensive residential care when the least expensive is with his father. If the carer’s (I can hardly bring myself to type that word), could not cope, perhaps they had chosen the wrong job.

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